Making Sense of the Midterms 2018

The midterms have just set the stage for a tough 2020 presidential fight

The 2018 midterm elections were like no other in recent memory: record turnout combined with vitriolic rhetoric from the current occupant of the White House – President Donald Trump. Peter Finn and Robert Ledger write that ahead of the 2020 presidential election, both the Democratic and Republican parties will be taking lessons from their victories and defeats in a […]

In the midterms, much of the Democrats’ Blue Wave hit a Republican Red Wall

Unlike the 2016 presidential election, in this year’s midterms, the pollsters for the most part got it right. Ronald Ranta writes that the polls were also correct in predicting two elections – one where the Democrats would dominate in US House and state races, and the other for the US Senate where Republicans winning and holding on to seats […]

The midterms have shown that President Trump’s campaign rhetoric on the economy has come back to haunt him

It has been long argued that the US economy has a massive influence on elections. But the Democrats’ midterm successes in the face of a Republican administration presiding over a healthy economy may have called that commonly held view into question. Helen Thompson writes that this new apparent disconnect between the economy and voters’ preferences may be down to […]

The Democrats are about to remind us that while Donald Trump has great freedom in foreign policy, it’s Congress which holds the purse strings

One of the main prerogatives of the presidency compared to Congress is its freedom in foreign policy: to make treaties, negotiate agreements and to deploy troops. But while Congress cannot set foreign policy, writes Jeremi Suri, it can influence it through the power of its purse. He argues that from now until at least 2020, we should expect push […]

Americans have voted to put a check on Donald Trump and on his vision for the country

This year’s midterm elections saw the US House of Representatives fall back in to the hands of the Democratic Party. LSE US Centre Director, Peter Trubowitz writes that this election was driven by two very different visions for the country, and that the result has brought Trump down to earth just as other presidents have been in the past.

The results of next week’s midterm elections will either force Trump to play defense 24/7 or hobble the Democratic Party

This year’s midterm elections are some of the most important in living memory – but what are the US Congress, and Donald Trump’s presidency, likely to look like after all of the votes are counted? LSE US Centre Director, Peter Trubowitz foresees two likely scenarios – that the Republican Party is able to hang on to both the US […]

Six reasons why you should care about the 2018 midterm elections

Next week Americans will go to the polls to determine who will represent them in their state governments and in Washington DC. Peter Finn and Robert Ledger look at why the 2018 midterm elections will be consequential for President Donald Trump and the Mueller investigation into him, the future of the Democratic Party, the US economy, the polling industry, […]

Why November 6th could mark the beginning of the end of Donald Trump’s presidency

As the first real referendum on the Trump administration, the coming midterm elections may yet mark a turning point in Donald Trump’s presidency. Mark Shanahan writes that if the Democratic Party is able to make significant inroads back into Congress following the November 6th vote, then Trump’s presidency will be impotent and exposed. And in the face of a […]

Here are five ways a Democratic US House might try to impeach Donald Trump

It looks increasingly likely that the Democratic Party will retake the US House of Representatives in the upcoming midterm elections. If there is such a takeover, the temptation for House Democrats to launch impeachment proceedings against President Trump may be too difficult to ignore. Allan J. Lichtman outlines five potential grounds for impeachment: violations of the Emoluments Clause of […]

Why we should expect gains for Democratic women in the House on November 6th

Various news outlets and researchers are saying the 2018 midterm elections will be ‘(Another) Year of the Woman’ and Midterm Election coverage continues to focus on women as a key group to watch. Samantha Pettey delves into why researchers expect such big gains by women in 2018 – which may see their representation increase to 25 percent of the […]

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